Deviled Eggs, Three Ways

For the last few years, I have been somewhat turned off by deviled eggs. My dear friend Matt and I used to throw massive Memorial Day barbecues in our postage stamp-sized backyard in Brooklyn, behind the duplex apartment we shared in a neighborhood that has since transformed into an area that would be financially well out of reach for most normal people. Before Trader Joe’s and the Stokke stroller-pushing power moms moved into town, tripling rents in their wake, Cobble Hill was mostly a collection of family-owned Italian “pork stores” and ice cream shops, brownstones standing shoulder-to-shoulder on shady, tree-lined streets.

Every Summer, we would throw a barbecue, inviting fifty or sixty people to stand around our 150 square foot “yard” to eat round after round of barbecued meat. Preparations for these events would always begin early; in the week before, Fresh Direct deliveries 10 boxes strong would begin to pile up in the living room, as Matt and I scrambled to build MP3 playlists and find serving vessels large enough to contain ten pounds of potato salad. The day before the party, I would start mass-producing deviled eggs in ghastly quantities, boiling ten dozen eggs and piping sulfury deviled yolk out of a heavy gallon-sized ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Inevitably, half of them would go uneaten at the party the next day, because, well, gross.

The deviled eggs I would make for that party were the kind my mom used to make: heavy on the mayonnaise, with a touch of dijon, maybe a spoonful of horseradish, and a sprinkle of paprika for color. They’re perfectly serviceable, picnic-style deviled eggs, good for serving with a dried-out hamburger or a few hotdogs on a Saturday afternoon where the focus of the day is not on food, but on being outside with people you love. Preparing them in such large quantities, however, left me feeling pretty turned off by the whole idea.

I haven’t given deviled eggs a lot of thought until recently, when I learned that The Spotted Pig in the West Village was serving them as a bar snack. Their version is light on the mayo, and uses a finish of good, fruity olive oil, a sprinkle of chives, and a few red pepper flakes and sea salt for crunch. These aren’t at all the deviled eggs I am used to, with a smooth, buttery, fluffy yolk, a slight pickled flavor, and plenty of spice from the dijon mustard. These deviled eggs are ridiculously easy to eat by the half-dozen, particularly with a cold pint of beer.

Ready to reconsider what I thought I knew about deviled eggs thanks to this gastropub version of the classic, I wanted to also work on some somewhat lower-brow versions. That’s the great thing about deviled eggs; you can tailor them to your event, or to your crowd. I would serve The Spotted Pig-style eggs to my mom, or to my old friend Matt, while we sipped fine cocktails and chatted on the porch. The others are novelties, prepared in the more traditional mayonnaise-heavy way, but with some surprise ingredients, like Buffalo wing sauce, celery, and blue cheese, or a BLT-inspired version that uses mayonnaise made from filtered bacon fat. Serve these for a football game, or at any function where red Solo cups seem like the only party supply you’ll need.

In a large saucepan, cover eggs with cold water. Over high heat, bring water to a boil, then cover, remove from heat, and let stand for ten minutes. Drain eggs, and peel under cool running water. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.

Push yolks into the bowl of a food processor. Choose 16 of the best looking deviled egg halves, There are always a few duds, and besides, we want to pipe lots of yolk into each deviled egg. Discard the remaining 8 egg whites. Add mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and hot sauce to food processor, and whirl until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

With food processor running, slowly drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste with salt, and transfer to Ziplock bag with the corner cut off, or pastry bag with decorative tip.

In a large saucepan, cover eggs with cold water. Over high heat, bring water to a boil, then cover, remove from heat, and let stand for ten minutes. Drain eggs, and peel under cool running water. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.

Choose 16 of the best looking deviled egg halves, There are always a few duds, and besides, we want to pipe lots of yolk into each deviled egg. Discard the remaining 8 egg whites. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, chopped celery, mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles, and hot sauce. Mash with a fork and stir well to combine. Transfer to Ziplock bag with the corner cut off, or pastry bag with decorative tip.

In a large saucepan, cover eggs with cold water. Over high heat, bring water to a boil, then cover, remove from heat, and let stand for ten minutes. Drain eggs, and peel under cool running water. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.

Choose 16 of the best looking deviled egg halves, There are always a few duds, and besides, we want to pipe lots of yolk into each deviled egg. Discard the remaining 8 egg whites. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, bacon, tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mash with a fork and stir well to combine. Transfer to Ziplock bag with the corner cut off, or pastry bag with decorative tip.

Put the egg yolks, mustard, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the into a food processor, and pulse until well combined.

Add the bacon fat and oil mixture in a slow stream, whirring the food processor until the mixture is thick. Depending on how thick and rich you like your mayonnaise, you may or may not need the entire amount of fat.

Slowly blend in the remaining lemon juice, sea salt and pepper, whirring it continuously throughout. Adjust the seasoning to taste. The mayonnaise keeps for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

In honor of National Egg Month, Portland area food bloggers are celebrating with coordinated posts. You can check out our fellow bloggers thoughts on the incredible edible egg here, here, and here.

About Malcolm Bedell

My first memories of cooking start in Maine at six years old, when I wore a yellow rainslicker to avoid getting spattered by the bacon I was frying in a skillet. You can see more of my writing and photography in regular contributions to LA Weekly, Bon Appetit, Serious Eats, and the Huffington Post.

I’m kind of horrified that you would pass on standard church picnic type deviled eggs. I’ve never met a deviled egg I did not like, though some are better than others and these look delicious. My own version is very hot with dry mustard, light on mayonnaise, and fat with yolky goodness owing to discarding about 20% of the whites. I love LOVE them and always feel honored when someone brings them to a potluck. Among all the deli purchased items that make up the modern day bring-something supper, deviled eggs, which are fairly labor intensive, stand out. Yum. Off to boil some eggs.

When in Maine . . . it seems as though seafood makes its way into most traditional fare, so a must try is the Lobster Deviled Egg and the Maine Shrimp Deviled Egg. Both require the server to be very careful, because the party goers WILL take you out to get to them, promise! That would be a good segment on Maine Food Frenzy!

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We're Jillian and Malcolm. Join us as we cook classic recipes from New England (as well as our favorite comfort food From Away), and explore all of Maine's vibrant food culture. Click here to read more.

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